Description: One day we shall have the freedom to cruise to Mars on a long or short vacation. But all shall be dependent upon what and who can afford it�As of 2006, space tourism is only affordable to wealthy individuals and corporations, with the Russian space program providing transport. it has become so popular that, even at $20 million a ticket, the Russian Space Agency is fully booked until 2009.[1] Some are beginning to favour the term "personal spaceflight" instead. While Earth is most like neighboring Venus in bulk composition, Mars similarities to Earth are ultimately more compelling when considering colonisation. These include: � the Martian day (or sol) is very close to Earths. A Mars solar day is 24 hours 39 minutes 35.244 seconds.[1] See timekeeping on Mars. � Mars has a surface area that is 28.4% of Earths, only slightly less than the amount of dry land on Earth (which is 29.2% of Earths surface). � Mars has an axial tilt of 25.19°, compared with Earths 23.44°. As a result, Mars has seasons much like Earth, though they last nearly twice as long because the Martian year is about 1.88 Earth years. The Martian north pole currently points at Cygnus, not Ursa Minor. � Mars has an atmosphere. While very thin (about 0.7% of Earths atmosphere), it provides some protection from solar and cosmic radiation and has been used successfully for aerobraking of spacecraft. � Recent observations by NASAs Mars Exploration Rovers and ESAs Mars Express confirm the presence of water on Mars. Mars appears to have significant quantities of all the elements necessary to support Earth based life. Differences There are differences, of course, between Earth and Mars: � The surface gravity on Mars is only one third that of Earth. it is not known if this level is high enough to prevent the health problems associated with weightlessness. � Mars is much colder than Earth, with a mean surface temperature of 63°C and a low of 140°C. � There are no standing bodies of liquid water on the surface of Mars. � Because Mars is farther from the Sun, the amount of solar energy reaching the surface (the solar constant) is only about half of what reaches the Earth or the Moon. � Mars orbit is more eccentric than Earths, exacerbating temperature and solar constant variations. � The atmospheric pressure on Mars is too low for humans to survive without pressure suits; habitable structures on Mars will need to be constructed with pressure vessels similar to spacecraft, capable of containing a pressure between a third and a whole bar. � The Martian atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide. Because of this, even with the reduced atmospheric pressure, the partial pressure of CO2 at the surface of Mars is some 52 times higher than on Earth, possibly allowing Mars to support plant life. � Mars has no magnetosphere to deflect solar winds. Habitability Physiologically, Marss atmosphere may be considered a vacuum. An unprotected human being would lose consciousness in about 20 seconds and would not survive more than a minute or so on the surface of Mars without a space suit. Still, conditions on Mars are much closer to habitability than the extremely hot and cold temperatures on Mercury, the furnace hot surface of Venus, or the cryogenic cold of the outer planets. Only the cloudtops of Venus are closer in terms of habitability to Earth than Mars is. There are natural settings on Earth where humans have explored that match most conditions on Mars. The highest altitude reached by a manned balloon ascent, a record set in May, 1961, was 34,668 meters (113,740 feet) the pressure at that altitude is about the same as on the surface of Mars.[citation needed] Extreme cold in the Arctic and Antarctic match all but the most extreme temperatures on Mars. Thanks�.
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